I appreciate your praise and your candour. I know it is difficult to take harsh criticism and you are handling with an astounding amount of class and grace. So mad props to you.
It is obvious that I find the handling of this situation by the current administration quite dissatisfying, to say the least. As for the future suggestions you request here's how I look at it.
I think a good place to start for the future is for all users to be treated the same despite personal relationships between them and the moderation. Public call outs and examples cannot be allowed to me made. Warnings where no names are mentioned are fine. Quietly removing especially offensive comments is fine as long as in the name of transparency the specific reason is mentioned and comments don't simply disappear.
Threads that call out other threads and are being judgmental should not be permitted. One of them got locked but the one that preceded it displayed a high level of condescension by which I felt personally attacked was allowed to proceed, in a subforum that isn't even for meta discussion. In that thread like minded individuals where called a gang and it spread the false narrative that “Shalladin Shippers are everywhere” and yet no action was taken.
Moderators and admins should be beyond reproach and a big part of how this is accomplished is by the image that is elected to be presented and by considering how much impact their words and actions have, by mere virtue of their position. A community takes its cues from it leaders. Those leaders should be especially careful of the example they set.

This thread exemplifies exactly the double standard I have come to expect from the staff of this forum. Past actions have revealed to me the extreme bias and inability to take criticism that characterizes the staff. Instead of admitting responsibility, it is elected to close ranks and start making excuses, lament about the nature of humanity and how actions and intentions are misunderstood.
I have no confidence in the ability of the staff to fulfill the role they have chosen with fairness and to treat all users and their opinions in an even-handed manner. It seems that users who do not align with their opinions get unfairly called out and publicly ridiculed, while users that are friends with other influential users only receive a gentle slap on the wrist even when they have been consistently offensive and argued in bad faith. That preferential treatment cannot be allowed to stand. Public admonishment apparently has its uses as has privately. I wonder on which standard its decided who gets what. Just because some people are more easily reachable does not mean they should not receive the same treatment as everyone else. And every user is approachable by any mod through this forum's PM system. Just because you are not Skype buddies with a user does not mean you cannot privately tell them to cool off. That reasoning and excuse is extremely weak. Not to mention that it has been proven that it is not applied uniformly, judging by which users get the ever so “useful” public scolding and who does not.
So you can see why your unconvincing attempts at providing excuses about your handling of the situation do not convince me as to the staff's intentions. It runs contrary to what I have witnessed happening these past couple of months. In addition, your pronouncements about what role you aspire to play run contradictory to what I have witnessed.
I feel you want a stratified community which is ruled with an iron fist. Also, apparently, dissent is to be silenced because it leads to contention and some people cannot handle that. I think that a small minority would prefer this to be their private club where only they can share their theories, have everyone validate them, throw praise at their feet, pat each other on the back about how great fans they are and gush about how great the product they consume is. Which is ironic, because it is the same people that create that contention and “unfriendly atmosphere”. And when said dissent cannot be shutdown, then a private platform will be used to provide commentary, without including the opposing argument, in an attempt to further promote highly opinionated views in the eyes of the community.
I write the above statement with great trepidation as I am quite afraid that you will use the tools you have at your disposal to ban from this forum or to further silence me. That may not be the case, but it is problematic that a user would fear the administration of this forum. It suggests some severe mismanagement of the interactions between the two groups that need to be addressed. You have a breach of trust. To put it simply people do not trust you. There is this misinterpretation that people are paranoid and developed a tribal instinct or whatever, which is purely ridiculous. I guess that you are allowed to do the same and call it a “rapport” or “being a closely knit group”. Instead of calling out conspiracies and cabals, maybe you should take a hard look at yourselves and recognise that if we are this cabal you make us, we are only following your own example. A community will follow the example of its moderators and admins after all. Do you now see why posting personal beliefs and promoting certain practises under the guise of an especially recognisable title is problematic?
I have given the moderation of this forum way more chances than they deserved and they have been consistently failing me. This thread is another instance of more of the same. You are not interested in doing anything real and tangible. You just want to provide yourselves with an alibi and to be able to say that you talked about it and couldn't find a solution or that we were uncooperative.
Since the subject of the ASK thread has been brought up in an attempt to derail this discussion and discredit what is considered here as “shipper” blathering, let me just say the following. The lock-down of the ASK thread is not the reason we are having this discussion but the excuse. This problematic behavior has been obvious since November to me. This latest decision is the straw that broke the camel's back.
We were contained into one thread in a sea of a community that runs contrary to the opinion we want to express. You ripped away the space we had carved out where we can speak freely because some people get offended due to the fact that they do not want to see our position expressed. Or, as has been expressed repeatedly, there are many prolific posters who publicly rail against the idea of romantic storylines being discussed at all. Would you mind if we created a new thread? I think you wouldn’t, as long as they are under the administration’s complete control. I think you just want a docile and hobbled community that doesn't talk about some issues because you feel that they bring contention (which was expected by the author) so you choose to silence it, ostensibly to keep a "friendly atmosphere" which it not even upheld by staff members themselves. I know that emotional topics, such as a romantic storyline, bring heated emotions, but the contributors to that thread have been mostly respectful and considerate. Until somebody who gets offended at our criticism of a fictional story or character takes it personally. Should we be expected not to engage with them to defend our opinions? Should we be the ones that are made an example of? Frankly I've had enough of being made a pariah for expressing my inoffensive opinions because some people take personal offense at my views.

Don't want to get into it much but here's my 2 cents.
Let me begin with this WoB.
https://wob.coppermind.net/events/60-firefight-san-francisco-signing/#e6662
That outright says that'd you need the Radiant who broke the oath in order to revive a Shardblade. So yes, Adolin should have to go through extra hoops to circumvent that.
Also there're some questions that need to be answered.
And even if he does it, would that bond begin at the level of the third oath? How else would Adolin be able to wield Maya? At that point she would be a higher order spren and those require "checks", as Syl says, to grant their benefits. Why should Adolin be able to bypass the first three oaths? And wouldn't that contradict with the "Journey before destination" part of the first ideal? Maybe he won't and he'll have to do without a Shardblade for a while until he catches up. Wouldn't that be fun! Remove some of his privileges and let's see how he does then! Also I have to wonder about this: people are fitting Adolin into an Edgedancer because that's his blade type. Where would people put Adolin if they were choosing without the blade influencing it? The prostitute incident screams Windrunner to me.
Or he could be Willshaper judging by this:
My point is that Adolin fits the Edgedancers as much as other any number of the rest of the orders. why are people only putting him into the shoes of an Edgedancer? Just because of his blade?
And to become a Radiant shouldn't the spren choose you? Maya got stuck with Adolin. What is to say that if he indeed revives her she won't immediately break the bond, if indeed reving a blade results in one, and return to Shademar because she doesn't see him as an Edgedancer or doesn't want to bond anyone because she's still sore by her first experience. Would Adolin be able to bond another Nahel spren? Is he broken enough for that? Just because his mother, whom he loved, died? Can every orphan become a Radiant by that logic? And I know that sound familiar with Lift's story but she didn't become a Radiant because her mother died. The Cultivation spren bonded her especially because of the congitive side effects of her Nightwatcher wish.
And as has been mentioned before the process of reviving a Blade is quite different than the bonding of a Nahel spren.
Also has Adolin even thought something like "Yeah, I should make revive Maya. I should make a concentrated effort on it" or is it all ""I'm sorry I have to use you" or "You're such a nice blade and I respect and talk to you”? If his only path to Radiancy entails "He revives Maya by being perfect and not even with concentrated effort" then, sorry, that doesn't make him interesting. Just more of the same, everything falling on his lap.

Let me preface this by saying that I liked The Last Jedi and I consider my self a bit of a fan. It's been 2 months since I watched it but here's my original assessment. Cool movie, some great parts and visuals. Some plotting things though need explaining but I can explain them away. What changed is that I realised that the fact that I can explain them away does not mean that they shouldn't have been better presented. It doesn't diminish my enjoyment but it is problematic for the movie. Yeah, I can rationalize and explain some of them, but should I have to? Shouldn't the creator be able to convince on the merits of what was presented? If something is so obviously good and hangs together so well noboby would find it unconvincing. The end of OB when it comes to the aspect we're discussing, is the least convincing conclusion I've experienced. It needs a lot of explaining and rationalizing and waving stuff away to be satisfying. Therefore there's a lot of room for interpretation and theorizing there. We cannot be expected to find this satisfying while so much were set up and not payed off. If theorizing is poisonous, then what should we call blind acceptance and the dismissal of criticism?
Even though I went in without preconceived expectations about Rey's parents or Snoke or Luke, I know and recognize that people went in with their expectations and when these where not met they were disappointed. And I agree on the point of Rey's parentage that the movie set expectations that were not met and I agree that it's disappointing.
...because that's what Disney does nowadays and it's frustrating. Explain important stuff in other material. But money need to be made...
Also I see some difference in the way that this theorizing is taking place. No one here is using uncanonized material to support their theories. We mine the text we have for info or the nuggets we get from the creator (although I think WoBs are soft canon and stuff said there are susceptible to change during the creative proccess). For me when it comes to subscribing to a theory it comes to these things:
Is the theory supported by provided material that is recognised by the creator or the public as canonical?
Is what the theory possible and believable?
Does it make a good case for itself?
And even then I don't take it for granted and tout it as 100% probable.

Well, I'm sure that the ardentia would agree.
Yeah, maybe comfortable may not be the correct word but it wasn't exactly a general comment on their interactions. I was referring specifically to the chasm scene in the cubby hole where they shared stories to comfort each other while the highstorm was raging outsibe. Shallan's says she need to hear something else other than the thunder and he tells her his story. She then proceeds without prompting to tell him her story.
But yeah, in general I agree with this.
I assume you've read @DeployParachute's post about it? I linked it in the previous page but here is it again, in case you missed it:

Shallan's character shines when she's pushed and reality comes crushing on top of her. She killed her father when the things got really bad, when Lin started hurting her step-mother, threatening to hurt others for her disobedience and when he brought Balat's romance to a head by calling Eylita to the mansion. She was happy to play along as the perfect Vorin daughter until she was pushed too far. She killed Tyn when she was attacked by using her shardblade, which she had seriously considered using only once before, in the alley with Jasnah. She knew Tyn could be dangerous but she extended her charade for her because she was comfortable around her and was fascinated by her swave behavior. One of Shallan's greatest moments is when she recruits the deserters, but she only does it at the last moment when there's no other options, otherwise she was content to sketch and look worryingly over her shoulder. She only acts like her true self, according to that tWoK annotation, when she's refused. I'm talking about this:
That's just after Jasnah refused to take her as a ward. She took action and formulated a bold plan to change Jasnah's mind.
What I'm trying to say is that Shallan shines, for good or ill, when she's pushed and taken out of her comfort zone. Actually "shines" is the wrong term. I'll go with takes decisive action.
But here's the thing. Adolin treats her masks as separate people and panders to them and prefers the one she puts on as being the perfect one according to his expectations.That's not helpful for her mental state and it isn't what she needs in order to be an interesting character to read. She's the kind of person that needs to be spurred and stimulated into being her best self, which is her whole self. When things are at the worst for her, she tries her hardest and becomes closer with her true self.
One of Kaladin's best qualities isn't just that he's a good soldier or a good protector but that he also actively pushes others around him to be better. He is a leader. Think how Rock or Teft were in the beginning of tWoK and when or why they started helping Kaladin. He, also, sets an example for others to follow. Sometimes he doesn't even want to set an example but especially at those times people choose to follow him (think the whole armoured bridgemen in Parshendi carapace). He pushes people around him to rise and even lifts them when they're unwilling. He dragged Bridge 4 out of their desperate stupor by providing them camaraderie. Soups, reassuring smiles when he felt they needed them, a sympathetic ear to tell their stories. He listened and got to know them, while dealing with his own issues and guilt.
Also I'm going to put this here:
That shows me these three things:
Shallan is no stranger to putting on masks to please others. She didn't start doing it when she became able to lightweave. It just helped.
Also isn't it strange that she puts up the same mask with Adolin as she did for her father. Although they are VERY different people, Shallan wants to be what she thinks they both want her to be. The perfect Vorin daughter or wife.
She's comfortable enough with Kaladin to drop the mask and reveal her self. The confession in the chasms that she killed her father was her revealing painful parts of herself to him. She feels comfortable with him as she does with a member of her family. Much more comfortable than she does with Adolin or Jasnah or Dalinar or Navani that are members of her actual family now. And I get it that this could be interpreted that Brandon is setting a siblings relationship between them, and that could fit with the whole "She reminds me of Tien" thing. But frankly that's weak. By the same logic every potential romantic interest should be dismissed if they vaguely remind you of a sibling. Is your crush funny like your sibling? Tough luck buddy, you can't love them romantically. Oh, you're as comfortable around this person as if they were your family or as if you've known them for a long time? Tough break.

Yes some of us have been here from Day 1. Welcome.
Here's a summary of the thread
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VqLjiUojkPqIfLJLyu7OnykTP3i-LG0f5f1KjRSJE6A/edit
And here are @DeployParachute's post about Kaladin dealing with it

No problem!
Neither have I... Or, wait... Are e-books considered hard copies? Nah, I'm kidding. Also here'another fun one. Shallan's con-woman teacher in WoR is spelled Tyn and not Tin... Man Shallan knows many people with similar names... Can we expect a character named Tin?
And here I thought you'd be partial to Alderaan...

Since we're doing this, may I add two of my own? I'm not saying that they're good questions or that they'd merit an answer or that they have to be to be asked. Here they are:
- Is divorce possible within Vorinism?
- When Shallan said that Veil has bad taste in men, was there a deeper purpose behind that undeserved and unfair disparagement of Kaladin's character?

Also has been discussed before. I feel like you haven't read this thread and I don't blame you. Here's a summery of it.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VqLjiUojkPqIfLJLyu7OnykTP3i-LG0f5f1KjRSJE6A/edit
Also I don't think that Brandon is the kind of artist that shies away from difficult matters just because people might find the polarizing. Don't forget that he has included LGBT characters in the past years (i.e. Drehy, Ranette). Also marriage doesn't mean happily ever after and there're issues with Shallan's and Adolin's marriage that need to be adressed and if they cannot be solved then separation is always an option. Again all this stuff have been covered so many times and in such depth here that it has been said that we're going in circles. ANd the triangle was never a fantasy that few readers came up with and is completely unsupported.

Alright this has been talked before. Here's my take on it and I think some people agree with me.
Just because she vaguely reminds him of his brother, or how he made him feel, just doesn't mean that a romantic relationship can't happen. It's very weak reasoning in Kaladin's part for him to step out of the triangle and it feels forced.
If the whole triangle what set up as a character development through her choice for Shallan, why enter Kaladin's feelings into it? If she had to make a coice regarding which person was "good" for her and that choice had to always be from the beginning Adolin, because without him she "fades" (I still almost vomit in my mouth when thinking of that line), what was the reasoning for Kaladin to have romantic feelings for her? If he was to vaguely associate her with his brother, so therefore he doesn't really love her (which as a sentiment and phrasing makes absolutely no sense to me), why not have it be like that from the beginning? Why not have something like: "Hey, that lighteyes reminds me somewhat of Tien. I have brotherly feelings toward her and I want to protect her. That's storming strange but I want to protect a lighteyes. Maybe I'm too prejudiced towards them and some are good"? I know that I'm not much of a writter but wouldn't that be a better plot for Kaladin to get through one of his issues? Shallan could still lust after him but in the end she could decide that he isn't for her, since it's just passion from her and he doesn't see her like that. I'd be more that fine with that. Instead what we get is the beginnings of a romantic plot that gets killed within a couple of pages with the weakest of reasoning from all sides and feels like a complete mishandling of all characters involved, while being written in a very archetypal and uninteresting manner ("Without you I fade" *blergh*).
All these were taken from previous comments I made.
And here's @DeployParachute's take on the matter.